This may be hard to believe but life doesn’t always go the way we planned. Sometimes it’s a flat tire or your flight getting canceled or a worldwide pandemic that makes people say, “Remember when we used to go to… anywhere?”
One of the lesser-celebrated gifts in life is one’s ability to pivot and make a smooth recovery when life throws a wrench in your well-thought-out plan.
Full disclosure: These types of quick pivots are not in my wheelhouse. I’m a planner and I pride myself on being prepared for most situations, which is very useful for the many, many times that things go exactly according to plan in life. Which is to say, pretty rarely.
I’m envious of those people who get sucker-punched by life only to whirl around and head in a different direction, as if to give fate the finger and calmly mutter, “Is that all you got?”
It’s like that in business too. If there are any business owners out there who can declare with 100 percent honesty that everything has run exactly according to plan since day one, please email me your story: monica@LiarLiarPantsOnFire.com.
Diversions in business can be as small as a slight spike in your utility bill or as large as a change in market demand for your product or service. The key to either is learning to pivot and recover. If your electric bill increases by $10, find it in the couch cushions and adjust next month’s budget. If demand is lacking for the way you’re offering your product or service, even your richest friend’s couch can’t help you. But can you make an adjustment? Yes, a pivot is still possible.
Let’s use COVID-19 as an example. The gym I run is built entirely around the community and a consistent class experience. Nothing hinders those two things more than not being able to let people in your front doors. So we pivot: Online classes, lots of chances to connect and support each other on social media, and the annoying added value of a tortuous daily self-reminder that this is why we never (EVER) work out alone when given the choice.
Another case in point: Restaurants. Those that were forced to shut down and cried out, “Welp, we’re doomed” are in fact, doomed. Those who made a quick pivot and started promoting the hell out of their delivery and curbside pickup are crushing it.
A few months ago, I set out to re-launch my marketing company, a company that successfully helped small businesses all over the country with their digital marketing needs. Only this time, I was going to do consulting for the business owner (or their right-hand-people) to help them with a strategy for being able to do the work themselves. I saw my expertise and experience as valuable, and the “bridge” they needed to take their marketing (and sales, branding, communication, etc) to the next level.
Business re-launch meeting #1: Meet with client. Learn clients’ business. Client asks if they can skip the consulting and just have me do the work.
Business re-launch meeting #2: Meet with client and learn the business. Client asks how much it will cost for me to do the work instead of teaching them.
Business re-launch meeting #3: Meet with client. I beat them to the punch: “I’m guessing you’d prefer that I do the work for you, instead of teaching you how to do it, right?” Smiles and nods all around.
Say it with me in your best Ross Geller voice: PI-VOT.
Here’s the interesting thing: I actually greatly prefer to do the work myself instead of handing it off to the client to figure out. Yes, I can coach these entrepreneurs to a strategy but for the most part, they won’t be passionate about the process because marketing isn’t why they opened their business in the first place.
Whether you’re thinking about starting a business or you’re currently running one, being prepared is important, and being prepared to pivot is imperative. Note that I’m not telling you to shut down your dentistry practice and go sell sandwiches. Instead, how can you meet the current needs of the market in the industry you’ve chosen to pursue?
Start with this quick list:
Have I done enough research to know that there’s a demand for my business idea?
Am I sure that this is what I want to spend my time doing?
Am I prepared to adapt to the market’s landscape if needed?
Am I prepared for a worldwide pandemic? (Just kidding… no one saw this coming).
If I do need to make a shift in my business plan, am I confident that there’s a demand for the way I’ve adapted and that this is what I want to spend my time doing?
With all of that said, I’d like to introduce you to the launch of my new company, RE Digital Marketing, where big business strategies are REengineered for your small business. Whether you need a new/updated website, help with your social media or email marketing, or just some fresh content or blogs, let’s chat today.